At least 39 migrants drowned off Tunisia when two boats capsized, the defense ministry said, while the number of people at risk of dangerous crossing into Europe continues to rise.
Rescuers removed 165 survivors from the wrecked boats to safety on Tuesday.
Defense Ministry spokesman Mohamed Zekri said later that the search had been “temporarily suspended due to dusk and bad weather”.
It was unclear what caused both boats to overturn, but the ships leaving the North African coast for Europe are often overloaded makeshift vessels, leaving at night even in bad weather to avoid detection by the coast guard.
The defense ministry said 39 bodies were recovered, while Tunisian National Guard spokesman Houcem Eddine Jebabli said at least nine women and four children had died.
The boats left the coast overnight, carrying mainly migrants from sub-Saharan Africa in order to reach Europe, but were spotted by the coast guard off the Tunisian port of Sfax, according to the authorities.
Last year, there was an increase in makeshift boats trying to cross the central Mediterranean, the deadliest route for immigrants in Europe.
These ships continued to sail almost daily this year, despite frequent bad weather.
“Matches continued to increase,” said Romdhane Ben Amor, of the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights.
Since the beginning of 2021, 94 migrant boats have been intercepted, according to a count made by his organization, against 47 in the same period in 2020.
Meanwhile, 1,736 people were arrested for attempting the crossing, about double the number recorded in the same period last year.
Between January 1 and March 7, 5,685 migrants arrived illegally on the Italian coast by sea, according to the UN refugee agency, including more than 1,500 via Tunisia and 3,500 via neighboring Libya.
The numbers are more than double the same period last year.
Among illegal arrivals in Italy in 2020, Tunisian citizens constituted the largest national contingent, with 12,000, UNHCR said.
But many foreigners also used Tunisia as a starting point for Europe.
Since the beginning of 2021, more than half of the migrants trapped in the waters off Tunisia were from Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights.
Tunisia was hit by an economic crisis and high unemployment, even before the coronavirus pandemic.
“The loss of jobs and the precarious conditions that have hit Tunisians have affected even more the communities of foreign migrants; many lost their jobs, ”said Matt Herbert of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
“For some migrants based in Tunisia, migrating to Europe is a decision they already have in mind.”
According to the UN, at least 252 migrants have died in the Mediterranean since January 1, and about 1,200 died last year.